Eli5: Are photons “dangerous”, as in are they cutting through things, based on the fact that some lasers can damage solid materials?
In: Technology
Photons aren’t inherently dangerous, any more than a plank of wood is inherently dangerous. It can certainly cause damage if it carries enough energy/force. This is the difference between safe EM radiation and ionising EM radiation. Radiation that can ionise means that it can ‘knock’ electrons out of atoms, and a photon can’t be a little bit ionising. It either is or it isn’t. This is dangerous to humans because our very complicated cellular clockwork depends on the electrons being in the right place. Non ionising radiation is described as a feather landing on a clock, but ionising EM radiation as a bullet through the clock. One kind of photon is completely harmless and the other will obliterate your DNA.
This is NOT to be confused with alpha and beta radiation, both of these are also dangerous but calling them “radiation” is a bit of a misnomer since they’re not from photons but from atom ions.
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